


Order Up

by seemeeimbeebee



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, I guess you could call this a Christmas/New Year's fic?, Killian owns a deli, fluff and sandwiches
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-30
Updated: 2016-12-30
Packaged: 2018-09-13 12:33:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,200
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9123751
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seemeeimbeebee/pseuds/seemeeimbeebee
Summary: At 11:13 one morning, Emma Swan walks into Killian Jones’s deli and his life is never the same. [Killian owns a deli AU]





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [captainswanismyendgame](https://archiveofourown.org/users/captainswanismyendgame/gifts).



> This was a CSSS gift for captainswanismyendgame! I hope everyone likes it!

When she first came into his deli, Killian definitely had to scoop his jaw off the floor. She was wearing a gorgeous pink dress, holding a pair of black heels in her hand. It was exactly 11:13 in the morning. “Walk of shame?” was the eloquent thing he managed to spit out at her.

If looks could kill, he would definitely have been six feet under when she glared at him. In fact, he was so close to it, he could hear his older brother whisper to him from the other side, “You moron.”

“Listen, buddy.” She stepped closer to the counter, bare feet and all, pointing a finger at him. “I just pulled a sixteen hour work at shift. I’ve got six inch heels in my hand and I know how to use them. I am so goddamn tired and hungry that I don’t even know if I’ll be able to stay awake to eat the first thing I’ve eaten in about fourteen hours. You do not want to mess with me right now. I will flip you over this counter if you make another crack like that, I swear to God.”

“What can I get you then?” Killian asked, meeting her gaze evenly.

“I will give you all the money in my wallet to make me a grilled cheese sandwich and shut the hell up.” She paused, looked him up and down and seemed to realize that he really didn’t deserve his ire. So she added a quiet and growled out, “Please.”

“As you wish,” Killian replied, holding his hand up in surrender.  “But how about I only charge you $3.49 for the sandwich instead of all the money in your wallet? And perhaps a cab to get you home safely if you’re worried about falling asleep into your grilled cheese?”

She cracked the smallest hint of a smile at that, starting to relax. “Actually, um, a cab would be great. Thanks.” She shrugged and added awkwardly, “So do you call cabs for all the women that walk into your deli looking like a hot mess?”

“Only the ones who threaten me first,” he teased. Her eyes lit up briefly when she laughed, before it gave way to a bone-deep exhaustion.  He hummed sympathetically, deciding to add a tomato soup on the house for her. She looked like she needed it. “Would you like to sit down, lass?” he said, gesturing to the completely empty diner. “I could bump one of the reservations for you.”

She rolled her eyes but it was impossible to ignore the upward quirk of her lips. And her lips…

“Can I have a name for the order?” he asked, praying that his voice was steady.

“Emma Swan,” the woman said tiredly, resting her head into her hand. Her eyes fluttered shut and it wasn’t long before she was asleep, sitting up at the table.

As quietly as he could, he managed to make her a grilled cheese sandwich, tomato soup and called her a cab. He quietly wrapped up the order in a paper bag and placed it in front of her. “Emma?” he murmured gently.

She jumped awake and grabbed her shoe, hitting him in the ear with it before turning bright red once she realized it was only Killian beside her. “Oh shit! Sorry!” she exclaimed.

“It’s quite all right,” he muttered, wincing as he rubbed his ear gently. “I just wanted to let you know that your food was ready and your cab is here.”

“Thanks,” Emma said with a little smile, getting up and putting her shoes back on. “I’m sorry I hit you in the head with my shoe…”

“Ah, what is that old phrase? Let sleeping swans lie?” Killian asked weakly.

“I’m pretty sure it’s ‘let sleeping dogs lie’,” Emma mumbled, her cheeks still flushed.  “Anyway, I’m gonna get in my cab and go. Thanks for the food and the nap. I owe you one.” She shuffled out of the door, trying to hold on to her remaining dignity.

“Let me know when you get home safe,” he yelled after her. He didn’t really think that she would find a way to tell him. That watching her go would be the last time he’d ever see her again.

Until a few hours later, he received notice that he got a review on Yelp for his deli. From a user called “Swansong1022”.

“This man makes the best grilled cheese that I’ve ever had in my whole life. But not only that, he was incredibly kind and considerate to me. I definitely will be coming back here again.

(By the way, I made it home safely. Thank you for the cab.)”

–

 At 11:13 in the morning, two days later, she returned to his deli. Her hair was swept up into a ponytail, she was sporting a red leather jacket and looked far more comfortable and at ease than she had the last time he saw her.

“I didn’t know if you got my message,” she explained, tugging on her bottom lip with her teeth. “I, uh, made it home safely.” She gestured awkwardly to herself. “Clearly.”

“Can I get you something to eat?” Killian asked with a smile, leaning in toward her over the counter. He had been hoping to save her from some embarrassment, and from the relieved look on her face, he definitely had.

“Grilled cheese, right away,” Killian murmured. “Anything to drink?”

“Uh, yeah, actually, if you have any hot cocoa with cinnamon, that’d be great,” Emma said, rubbing her shoulder.

“A grilled cheese and a hot cocoa with cinnamon,” Killian repeated, scribbling it down. “And will that be for here or to go?”

“To go,” Emma said. “I’ve got to get to work and it looks like you don’t have enough room for me here today,” she said, her face lighting up as she took in the scene of many happy customers eating lunch.

“A very nice and thoughtful Yelp reviewer incentivized a lot of people to come in,” Killian called over his shoulder at her, still grinning from ear to ear. “A reviewer by the name of Swansong1022. Know where I can find them?”

“Not a chance,” Emma called back, leaning against the counter with a grin. “But maybe I can do some digging for you.”

“That so, love?” Killian asked, arching an eyebrow at him. “What do you–?” He was broken off by a man, holding a purse running past the deli. “Oy!” he exclaimed, but Emma was on her feet faster than that.

Before he could blink, Emma had sprinted outside of the deli, tackled the perp and had him face down on the ground. “Walsh Osmund, don’t move,” she growled, digging her elbow into the perpetrator’s back. “I’m your bail bondswoman. I’m so glad you’re stupid enough to keep stealing, otherwise I would’ve had to buy a new pair of heels to find you.”

Killian had to scrape his jaw off the counter. “Your order,” was all he could spit out when she returned.

–

“Well well well,” Killian chuckled, when Emma walked in a few days later. “Emma Swan, bail bondswoman extraordinaire, I have your grilled cheese and hot cocoa all ready to go for you.”

“How did you know I’d be coming in now?” Emma asked, flabbergasted. She was still wearing her red leather jacket. Privately, he had to admit that he loved the red leather jacket, but he definitely wasn’t in a position to say anything to her.

“It’s 11:13,” he replied with a shrug. She raised an eyebrow at him and he added, “You always come in at 11:13 in the morning. Your order is a grilled cheese and hot cocoa with cinnamon.” The look on her face was unreadable. “What?” Killian asked, really starting to get nervous. “I like knowing what my customer’s orders are. It’s a part of my service.”

“You know my sandwich order, what time I come in, you know where I work…look, if you’re some kind of serial killer, just murder me and get it over with,” she teased, her voice brimming with affection. His shoulders slumped in relief. “Were you worried about creeping me out?” she asked, a note of disbelief in the question.

He opened his mouth to deny it, feeling flustered, but she started to laugh.

“You were!” she exclaimed delightfully. “That’s adorable. I don’t even know your name and you’re worried about freaking me out. You know I could just look you up without a thought? You don’t scare me, buddy.”

“I’m not adorable,” he complained half-heartedly, his face bright red.

She leaned in closer, over the counter. Her lips were a breath away from his, before she murmured, “See? Adorable.” She grabbed her food from his hand and placed her money on the counter. She always paid in exact change. “See you tomorrow.”

As she walked away, he called after her, “My name is Killian by the way!”

–

He had her order ready to go the next day, but she didn’t show up. He didn’t think much of it at the time. He knew she sometimes had late nights at work. That was how they met, after all. He figured her missing one day of her usual grilled cheese and hot coca wouldn’t be such a big deal.

Then one day became two.

Then three.

Then four.

He knew it was a stalker-like move to go to look her up and find her place of work. But it only made him feel worse when it was clear she was closed. He had no address, nothing to look her up with, nothing but a name. He nearly filed a missing person’s complaint with the Boston Police Department, but he didn’t even know if she was missing.

She was just a woman that came into his shop, really for three days in a row and teased him a little bit. She could just decide to stop coming to his shop for any reason and he’d never know.

He clicked on her Yelp page and tried to see if she reviewed any other restaurants, but it was just his deli.

It had only been three days, but his last four days felt so empty when she wasn’t there to tease him.

“I just hope you’re safe, Swan,” Killian whispered. “I miss you.”

–

11:13 pm.  
  
Killian looked up at the clock, rubbing his eyes. He knew deciding to stay open on New Year’s Eve was a stupid idea. But he’d had it in his head that the drunk people would come in looking for a fattening sandwich. A great business idea in theory, and it allowed him to forget about Emma, who hadn’t come in for almost a week now.

So here he was.  Alone on New Year’s Eve.

With a sigh, he began to hang up his apron when the bell to his shop rang. “We’re just about to close up,” he called, not turning around.

“Killian?” Emma asked in a soft voice. He whipped around and saw Emma standing in his deli, a small boy cradled in her arms. “Do you have something that a five year old would like?” she asked hopefully.

“Well, I like boiled mackerel on rye,” Killian laughed softly, afraid to break the moment. She laughed and he smiled. “Bet he’d like a BLT, wouldn’t you lad?”

 The boy shifted in Emma’s arms, blinking up at her sleepily. “Momma?” the boy yawned. “Are we home yet?”

“Almost, Henry,” Emma promised into her baby’s hair. “I just thought you might like something to eat before we get home. I know we didn’t stop for snacks. This is Momma’s friend, Killian. And he makes the best grilled cheese in the whole wide world.”

“I like grilled cheese,” Henry replied with a big smile. “And hot cocoa with cinnamon.”

Emma grinned and pressed her forehead to her son’s. “Me too, kid.”

Killian’s throat closed, knowing that he was witness to incredibly tender and special moment. He began working on their sandwiches to avoid his tears.

 Later, he’d find out that Emma had driven across the country to Pheonix, Arizona, so get her boy from his father, who had died. That there was no time to let him know because if she waited any longer, her son would’ve gone into the system like she had.

But he found all that out, he got to ring in the New Year listening to Henry’s pirate stories and Emma’s laughter.

 –

“So, do you eat anything other than sandwiches?” Emma asked him, when she came in the next morning, right on time.

“I eat lots of things love. Why?” he asked.

“Well, uhh…I was thinking we could go out some time. To a place that maybe didn’t serve sandwiches? I’d like…dress up and stuff. It could be fun. I’ll get a babysitter for Henry,” She rocked back and forth on her heels nervously.  

 He beckoned her closer to the counter. She leaned over and he leaned in closer to her. “I like things that aren’t sandwiches,” he murmured before he kissed her gently. 

She tasted like hot cocoa and cinnamon when she kissed him back. 


End file.
